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Month: June 2016

In the first place, do you have an idea about what body image is? It is how people see themselves. And distorted body image, which is also popular as negative body image is an unrealistic view of how someone sees their body. Just like eating disorders, it’s mostly seen in women. However, there are even many men who suffer from this problem. You’ll usually start forming perceptions about your body’s attractiveness, acceptability, health and functionality in early childhood. This continues to form as you grow up and get feedback from your family members, peers, coaches etc. Personality traits like perfectionism as well as self criticism may even influence the development of negative internalised image of a body.

Symptoms of distorted body image

The signs and symptoms that show that you have a distorted or negative body image include:

thinking negative comments about your body as well as frequent comparison of your own size and shape to other people

obsessional self looking at the mirrors

feeling envious of a friend’s body or just commonly the body of someone else or celebrity in the media

Why distorted body image is caused?

At times body image is impacted negatively by one or more important events. For instance, a gymnast who is constant;y chided by her fellow athletes or coach to lose a bit of weight, can develop deeply ingrained & long lasting discontentment with her body, irrespective of how thin she gets.

If you’re someone who is worried about your body image, make sure to ask these questions to yourself:

Is my idea of beauty misrepresented from years of media exposure, which glorifies a thin ideal that’s unrealistic for a lot of people to get in a health manner?

Am I mostly criticising about my own looks?

How to treat distorted body image?

Being treated for negative or distorted body image is a significant step to recovery. This is a major problem and will not just go like that. Acknowledging and recognising your feelings as well as accompanying body sensations is going to help you become a lot more comfortable & reduce the tendency to suppress feelings & revert to unhealthy and negative inner denunciations for escaping uncomfortable feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the approach where irrational thoughts are analysed, recognised and restructured to more logical and coherent self task, is mainly used by many a counsellor in Bondi Junction, NSW.

In reply to the title of this blog, it would be needless to say that practically everyone requires a psychologist. And by everyone, we mean to say people from all age, ethnic, religious and communal groups. Most experts say all individuals can benefit greatly benefit by seeing a counsellor at some point in their life, particularly when going through hard times.

Earlier, when medical science was not as much advanced as it is today, many people dismissed the idea of consulting a psychologist by considering it taboo. However, people have become more open-minded nowadays. At present, the patient lists of most counsellors include a wide range of individuals:

men

women

small children and teenagers

couples

groups

carers and parents of dependants having extra needs

families (also blended ones)

The primary objective of counselling is to aid a person and make him or her feel alive, creative, aware of themself, connected to their family & friends and above all, lead a good life. There are plenty of things that can act as interference to a healthy lifestyle and prevent one from realising their potential. Some of them are triggered by past unpleasant experiences, whereas others arise from currently existing problematic situations.

In general, people who seek counselling are afflicted with one or more of these problems:

trauma

broken dreams

depression

low self-confidence

persisting anger management problems

relationship issues

anxiety

obsessive-compulsive behaviour

All of these can seriously affect one’s normal lifestyle and make him/her feel helpless, giving rise to alienation from loved ones, hopelessness and even suicidal tendencies. Some people may not even be aware that they are in need of help. They fail to identify their problems, but know the situation and can explain how they feel. Such an emotional disorder can be really hard for other people to understand. However, it slowly degenerates the quality of life for the victim.

Over the years, counselling has been proven to help a great deal in comprehending, resolving and moving beyond feelings that generally cause emotional problems. It can allow one to be at peace and understand their worth once again. If you have been experiencing feelings of worthlessness or low spirits for some time now, get in touch with French psychologist Jade Couquaux in Bondi. She has been counselling teenagers, couples, parents, families, men and women for years now.Book an appointment with her and discuss all your problems. Remember, you do not have to struggle in isolation.